I taught non fiction by focusing on specific topics. For kindergartners you can easily incorporate these skills in a unit on Apples, Pumpkins, George Washington, etc.

In 1st grade I had a week long unit on Inventors and a month long unit on Black History. Later, we used students acquired knowledge to create their own non-fiction book about Texas during a 2 week unit.

*I will post these units later this summer when I am no longer 9 months pregnant*

How to Begin:

Start whole group by visually comparing and contrasting the difference between narrative and expository texts. Display a variety of books from each genre and ask students to verbally describe what they notice. Guide them to notice the differences in titles, book covers, illustrations vs. photographs, etc. Point out/review story elements in fiction books: characters, setting, problems, solutions, etc.

This can be done strictly with verbal answers, using ‘pick-me-sticks’ or other tools to ensure all students are participating. Or you can make a class list, Anchor Chart, KWL chart or venn diagram comparing the two types of books.

Once students have a firm grasp on the different types of books remove the fiction books and focus on the features of informational/expository texts.

Point out the various features of the book including:

Illustrations, photographs, graphics, charts, and maps.

Glossary, index and table of contents

Headlines and subheads

Labels, italics and bold face words

Books to use:

In the beginning it’s best to choose books the children can relate to. Choose topics they’re interested in or directly connected to their lives. After they’ve grasped many of the concepts choose books that expand their knowledge and world view. Introduce books about other cultures, **